French Mayor Faces Jail Time For Refusing To Conduct Same-Sex Marriage Ceremony

The mayor of the French town of Arcangues has become that nation's first official threatened with a fine and prison time for refusing to conduct a same-sex marriage ceremony.

"When people close the door at home, they do what they want," Jean-Michel Colo told public service France Television. "For me, marriage is for a woman and man to have children. I am not discriminating as a same-sex couple is sterile. It’s a parody of equality, it’s a big lie," he added, explaining his steadfast refusal to marry a gay couple named Jean-Michel and Guy. Interior Minister Manuel Valls said in response there would be "significant sanctions" if Colo pressed ahead on the matter, telling the media that any public servants refusing to respect the letter of the law would be guilty of discrimination and thus risk up to three years in prison, as well as paying €45,000 in damages. The mayoral refusal, announced on Friday in a statement, has angered local LGBT rights campaigners. "It’s a battle that’s already been lost," Bena Gachen, spokesman for local network Les Bascos, told French television TF1. “The law should apply across the country.”

You can guarantee that Colo will become the next symbol of "homofascist Christian oppression" for American hate groups.